Notes on An Ohio Man’s Experience in the Rebel Army

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First, thanks to Jon-Erik Gilot for sending this articleto me. Good readers make good blogs. This is the kind of thing I was hoping for when I started this project.

Thanks also to two authorities on Louisiana troops who gave me valuable input. Gary Schreckengost is the author of this bookon the First Special LA Battalion, and Art Bergeron of the U. S. Army Heritage & Education Center, still commonly referred to as USAMHI, is the author or editor of several bookson Louisiana in the Civil War.

Gary provided the following:

All three men [Johnson, Vance & Hutchinson] are listed as being in Wheat’s original company, the Old Dominion Guards, which was the battalion’s first Company E and second Company D after the Guerrillas left. I believe your article is accurate. I’ve listed what’s in the combined service records. Below is what’s in the records [what Gary sent summarizes the info provided by Art] and what’s cool about this is [the article] gives us actual examples of names of the poor suckers who were shanghaied. The uniform, of course, was of his company and not the entire battalion as each company varied to a degree. The OD Guards most matched the other guards—the Walker Guards, Company A.

Art sent in a little more detail from the microfilmed Compiled Service Records in the National Archives, Microcopy No. 320.

Johnson, Aug., Pvt. New Co. D, 1st Special Battn. (Wheat’s) La. Inf. Roll for June 1 to June 30, 1861 (only Roll on file), states Present. Appears on a List of killed, wounded and missing, in the battle of Manassas, Va., July 21, 1861, dated August 29, 1861, “Wounded. Supposed to be dead, but cant be found.” M320, Roll 101

Hutchinson, James H., Pvt. New Co. D, 1st Special Battn. (Wheat’s) La. Inf. En. June 9, 1861, Camp Moore, La. Rolls from June to Dec., 1861, Present. Appears on a List of killed, wounded and missing in the battle of Manassas, Va., July 21, 1861, dated Aug. 29, 1861, “Wounded severely in face.” On a Register of C. S. A. General Hospital, Charlottesville, Va., “wounded in face,”admitted July 22, 1861; returned to duty Aug. 31, 1861. On Register of Payments on Descriptive Lists, from Feb. 28 to May 31, 1862, paid June 30, $30.50. On Register of Payments to Discharged Soldiers, discharged Apr. 29, 1863; paid Apr. 29, 1863.

Hutchinson’s discharge payment certificate shows the following: James H. Hutchinson, Private, Captain O. P. Miller’s Co. D, Wheat’s Battalion Louisiana Volunteers. Born in Salem Co., N. J.; aged 23; 5 feet 8 inches high; light complexion; dark eyes; brown hair; occupation, boatman. Enlisted by Capt. Miller at New Orleans on April 25, 1861, for the war. Battalion disbanded by the Secretary of War August 15, 1863. Hutchinson was last paid to include May 30, 1862. Has pay due him from that date to August 15, 1862. Due him $50.00 bounty and $25.00 clothing. Given to him at Richmond on April 29, 1863. Signed by Major R. A. Harris. Paid $27.50 for two months and 15 days; travel from Richmond to New Orleans, $3.00; bounty, $50.00; clothing, $25.00; balance paid $105.50. Received from Major John Ambler (?) at Richmond on April 29, 1863. Hutchinson made his mark. M320, Roll 100.

Art’s not convinced of the impressment claim in the article. Personally, I’m going to need more convincing too. Anyone?

Art also sent me another article of an incident of the battle, an encounter between brothers who fought on opposite sides. I’ll have that for you in the near future.

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On the matter of impressment, has anyone scoured the rest of the rolls to see if more Northern men were “rounded-up?” Considering Vance and Hutchinson returned to service, I can see why there is a question about impressment. I wonder what their status was after 1863, since the history of service ends for both in that year.

I searched the 1860 census for Jefferson County for Aug Johnson (he was supposedly from Steubenville) but can’t find him in Steubenville or anywhere in the county. I searched for him (under both Johnson and Johnston) in the surrounding counties of Belmont, Harrison and Carroll as well as Brooke (West) Virginia and didn’t find anything. It would be interesting to try and find this story in the paper it was originally reported in, the Washington Star, I believe. Perhaps the Chronicle put him from Steubenville to give the story some local flavor?

Dulce bellum inexpertis

“I am sending you these little incidents as I hear them well authenticated. They form, to the friends of the parties, part of the history of the glorious 21st. More anon.”

About

Hello! I’m Harry Smeltzer and welcome to Bull Runnings, where you'll find my digital history project on the First Battle of Bull Run which is organized under the Bull Run Resources section. I'll also post my thoughts on the processes behind the project and commentary on the campaign, but pretty much all things Civil War are fair game. You'll only find musings on my “real job” or my personal life when they relate to this project. My mother always told me "never discuss politics or religion in mixed company”, and that's sound advice where current events are concerned.

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This site is more than a blog. Bull Runnings also hosts digitized material pertaining to First Bull Run. In the Bull Run Resources link in the masthead and also listed below are links to Orders of Battle, After Action Reports, Official Correspondence, Biographical Sketches, Diaries, Letters, Memoirs, Newspaper Accounts and much, much more. Take some time to surf through the material. This is a work in process with no end in sight, so check back often!